During a briefing in Malaysia, Agilent Technologies President, Malaysia and Singapore, Soon-Chai Gooi, said: "The three key drivers are consumer safety, in particular food safety, water quality and environmental testing, and next generation communication trends such as the increasing demand for bandwidth and network security issues, as well as the increasing demand for health-care research for the global ageing population."

"With the world's economic centre shifting to emerging economies, these global trends represent an opportunity for Asian economies," said Gooi. "This is especially so as governments look to diversify their economies, attract foreign investment, develop their workforce and tap into new export markets."

Agilent Technologies Electronic Measurements Group vice president and general manager, South Asia Pacific and Korea field operations, Dennis Au, said 4G and long-term evolution (LTE) are expected to drive communication technologies in 2011 and beyond. "Technology is changing the way we live and work every day. With the rapid development of smart phones and information technology driving instant communication, there will be a need for significant investments in bandwidth, quality and network security issues."

"Since we began operations here more than 40 years ago, Agilent has been supporting Southeast Asia's economic growth," said Gooi. "We are investing in the region through our operations, technology and talent development."